Each year, more than 100,000 American horses—working, racing and companion horses and even children’s ponies—are inhumanely transported long distances in cramped trailers without food, water or rest. Then they are brutally slaughtered, and their meat is shipped overseas for human consumption. The majority of these horses are young, healthy animals who could have led productive lives with loving owners if they’d been given the chance.​http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/horse_slaughter

Horsemeat has been found in frozen lasagna sold in supermarkets in the U.K., Ireland, France and Sweden. Some weeks ago, it was first reported that products labelled as beef patties or burgers actually contained horsemeat and testing revealed that some contained from 30 to 100 percent horsemeat.

This bill put before the House of Representatives, if passed, will state:

Congress finds that--

(1) unlike cows, pigs, and other domesticated species, horses and other members of the equidae family are not raised for the purpose of human consumption;

(2) equines raised in the United States are frequently treated with substances that are not approved for use in horses intended for human consumption and equine parts are therefore unsafe within the meaning of section 409 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act;

(3) equines raised in the United States are frequently treated with drugs, including phen­yl­bu­ta­zone, acepromazine, boldenone un­dec­y­len­ate, omep­ra­zole, ketoprofen, xy­la­zine, hy­al­uron­ic acid, ni­tro­fu­ra­zone, polysulfated gly­cos­ami­no­gly­can, clenbuterol, tolazoline, and ponazuril, which are not approved for use in horses intended for human consumption and equine parts are therefore unsafe within the meaning of section 512 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; and​(4) consuming parts of an equine raised in the United States likely poses a serious threat to human health and the public should be protected from these unsafe products.